Longtime Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Jon Erpenbach not seeking reelection

As Gov. Tony Evers calls for a $100 million state investment in combating PFAS, some residents of PFAS-polluted communities are skeptical the administration will reach common ground with lawmakers while still hoping for a bipartisan solution. During his State of the State address Tuesday, Evers announced more than $100 million...

Wisconsin's record budget surplus grew even larger Wednesday as a new estimate projected state government would end this fiscal year with an eye-popping $7.1 billion in the bank. The estimate, which was released by the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office, is about half a billion dollars more than Gov. Tony Evers'...

The state of mental health in Wisconsin is a "quiet, burgeoning crisis," and that includes unmet mental health needs in schools, Gov. Tony Evers said during his State of the State address this week. He dubbed 2023 "the year of mental health" and laid out a long list of proposals...

After years of leading the nation in farm bankruptcies, the latest federal data shows Wisconsin has returned to more normal levels of new filings. Federal court data shows Wisconsin only had 10 Chapter 12 bankruptcy cases filed in the 12 months before Sept. 30, 2022. Chapter 12 is a bankruptcy code that allows farmers who are carrying too much debt to reorganize their business and potentially have some of their debt forgiven.

Florida's department of education, under the leadership of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, rejected an Advanced Placement course on African American studies. The decision is leading to a wave of backlash across the country — from other state lawmakers to labor unions and even a potential lawsuit. "One Governor should...

Wisconsin's suicide and crisis lifeline is fielding more calls since it switched to a 3-digit number, and officials are ramping up hiring to meet demand. Calls to Wisconsin's suicide and crisis lifeline have skyrocketed in the months since the hotline switched to a simplified 988 number, federal data shows. Crisis...

Govenor Evers is looking to spend an additional $20 million in the next budget on improving Wisconsin students' reading skills. We talk about where they're lacking, and what could help build them up.

We learn more about why retailers are offering more options for customers to spread their purchases over multiple payments. Then, a writer makes the case that there's never been a better time to be a short person. Later, we talk to an education policy expert about conflicting priorities to fund public education and school choice vouchers in Wisconsin.

Nine Wisconsin chefs and restaurants across the state were named semifinalists for the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards on Wednesday. The James Beard Foundation, which recognizes and awards culinary excellence, is a hallmark of the restaurant industry. It’s often described as the Oscars of the food world. The organization, founded in 1990, recognized the semifinalists across 23 categories.

With ice cover on the Great Lakes at a near-record low, the port of Duluth-Superior recently saw the latest departure of a cargo-carrying freighter in nearly 50 years. As of Thursday, ice covered only about 5 percent of the Great Lakes. This year is the fifth-lowest year for average ice cover on the lakes since the start of the season, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. Through Jan. 25, the five years with the lowest ice at the start of the season have all taken place within the last two decades. The lowest average ice cover on the lakes for the start of the season was in 2021 at 1.4 percent.